Da Lions Den

The Lava Tube I lived in for over a year at different times in Mackenzie Park. I felt at home here, parking my bike down below in another lava tube and riding the 8 miles up hill to Pahoa and back down at night. This Iron Wood forest planted by the park ranger Peter Mackenzie feels haunted and people often speak of seeing the Night Marchers (Hawaiian Spirits) through the trees and hear drum beats. In Hawaiian tradition, the Kings Highway which Mackenzie Park is part of is a place where King Kamehameha walked with his army. The dead souls of the Hawaiians go down to the cliffs above the ocean and can either jump off and go out to sea with their ancestors or are forever stuck on the shores, haunting the park. In November 2002, Jah Son, a red haired young hippie who was on psychedelics during a rave jumped off the cliffs. Some people say they heard him scream under the full moon light that cast silver LED like light upon the misty ocean. Police, helicopters and divers all looked in vain for his body that never was recovered. That was the last full moon party in the circle that I outlined with lava rocks.